“We made the decision to move the brand from Altadis in Honduras to the Garcia family’s factory in Nicaragua,” said Ashton vice president Sathya Levin. “It is nothing against Altadis, but we were very impressed with Pepin’s work, and everything we’ve done with him has had such a positive customer response.”

http://www.winespectator.com/Cigar/C...4,2813,00.html

Also:

Garcias to Add New Cigars to My Father Line

The Garcia family is adding a line extension to its well-reviewed My Father brand. My Father Le Bijou 1922 will be previewed next month at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers trade show in New Orleans. The sub-brand, originally slated to consist of three sizes, will now have a trio of sizes, and is being made with a different blend than the original My Father, which debuted last year.

Le Bijou is French for "the jewel," and 1922 refers to the year Jose "Pepin" Garcia's father was born. The original My Father was created in secret by Pepin's son Jaime, who conceived of the cigar as a tribute to his father. This new creation is Pepin's way of honoring his own father.

The new cigars have an all-Nicaraguan blend. The wrapper is dark, called Habano Oscuro by the company. The original My Father has Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves, but an Ecuadoran wrapper grown from Habano seed.

The sizes of My Father Le Bijou 1922 are Churchill, which measures 7 inch long by 50 ring gauge and has a suggested retail price of $12.20; a 4 1/2 by 50 Petit Robusto, which will sell for $7; and a 6 by 52 Toro selling for $11.30.

http://www.winespectator.com/Cigar/C...4,2820,00.html
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So will that thus change the tobaccos used and the blend, Greg?
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Not that the original blend is bad but one can hope. :-)

Seriously, I don't know. I've been trying to find more info than what that article has in it.
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Does that make sense to anyone else? I'm having the hardest time figuring out what the difference between three sizes and "a trio of sizes".

:-)


-Mark
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Great info as usual Greg. :-)

I find that they were made in 'secret' a little hard to believe, especially if they're using your tobacco.

As far as the regular LAdC, they should really tweak the blend on the bigger rg ones. I haven't had one that was good yet. I'm a big fan of the smaller rg smokes, the corona minor and the interlude.

I was hoping they would introduce a PC size for My Father, oh well.
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Ed, I think what they meant is that Jaime developed the blend without the knowledge of the Don to be able to surprise him with the honor.

I too was never a fan of the larger rg LADC's.
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:-) It's hard to find good writers these days.
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Oh, okay.

Did Jaime receive any training in Cuba or is he getting his blending knowledge mostly from his dad?
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I just tried a "La Aroma de Cuba" last week. (I'm fairly new.) I loved that taste of pepper it had. Is that common to that brand?
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Yes, on the growing side. Jaime studied at the Cuban School of Agriculture and yes of course has learned a thing or two about blending from the Don.

Eddie Ortega says the he is a perfectionist and is a very knowledgeable tobacco man and is just as good as Pepin when it comes to manufacturing. But his forte is in growing.
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Yep, the original line does have that pepper. If you like that, try Pepin's stuff. He has a lot of, what I would call, peppery cigars.
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Definitely. I detected some citrus in the La Aroma de Cuba I had, but most of Pepin's cigars are very peppery. Some more peppery than I like, but most are great.
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The Edicion Especials are bar-none a much better blend than the originals.:-)
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To me, a DPG fan, this is great news...
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This is awesome, thanks for the info. I will definatly be keeping my eye out for these when they hit the shelves. I love all the stuff to come from Pepin and can't wait to try one of these. :-)
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Agreed. The originals were just pepper, than somewhat leathery with little balance. IMHO
Yes! Very cool. Hope the price point stays low.
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That is what worries me. Pepin is the latest hot thing of the cigar world. Well unless you ask Ernesto Padilla. LAdC has been a great price for the quality. I hope they don't change just for moving to Pepin and want to raise prices.
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The original LADC is one of my favorites ...
Every thing Pepin touches doubles in price :-)
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I know you, you still wont smoke one. :-)
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Hey look others voicing the opinion that DPG cigars are on the expensive side. Be careful y'all, last time I said that I got a lecture. He he
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